Hi I am 42 years old male. My gfr is 35% but my creatinine is 580 . It has decreased from 605 in 1 week. My doctor put me on strict vegan diet that is making me miserable. Is there any low protein fish I can eat? Or any seafood. I feel awful because of the diet
Thanks
I shifted to a vegan diet last summer. It has definitely improved my renal panel some. (I’ve been in Stage V since January of 2017.) My data now comes in frequently with creatinine 2.8 giving me and eGFR of 17. That’s low Stage IV. So the dietary change is definitely worth it.
I do eat whole eggs and egg whites; 4 large eggs a week with additional egg whites.
So my evening meal 4 nights a week is some form of eggs. I also have egg whites for breakfast every morning. In addition to the eggs and egg whites I’ve used vegan meatless meat options in various favorite recipes. I’ve also started using nutritional yeast on my evening meal every day. It substitutes for Parmesan cheese fairly well. It has a fair amount of vegan protein per 2T. Finally, I’ve found a few recipes for tofu cubes that are baked. I find that I like these and can put them on salads to make a dinner salad with protein.
But this is definitely a major change. I’m trying to hold off dialysis as long as possible. Thus I’m committed to the vegan diet. However, I’ve had a lot of trouble finding renal friendly vegan recipes.
Jayhawker
Thank you for this. My doctor doesn't want me to have any protein whatsoever. It's making me weak and miserable. I'll try to look for the meat substitute. But I live in the Philippines where it's difficult to find things like this.
Thanks for sharing good information. I am not totally vegan on my CKD diet. I find recipes on Davita.com diet helper to be helpful. There are some good recipes and they tell nutritional value, so can do diet planning. Many recipes under vegetable category.
Thanks I'll check it out. Though I feel 15 years younger being vegan but I love good food
Eating dairy (eggs included) is NOT vegan and not good for CKD.
Egg Whites are fine...in fact recommended for CKD..a good source of protein that kidneys can break down.
I also eat egg and egg whites. I limit animal protein and eat more vegetable. My gfr has improved.
Sorry, I should had said vegetarian. And I was specifically told by the renal dietician that both were not only alright but the egg whites specifically are an extremely renal friendly form of protein. And she also strongly encouraged me to eat up to 4 whole eggs a week.
So I’m following her guidance. My renal panel has improved modestly. My BUN is definitely better and quite stable.
Please accept my apology if my earlier post offended you. That was certainly not my intention.
Jayhawker
Hi, Jayhawker. Your earlier post did not offend me, so no need to apologize. I've been pretty much following the modified CKD vegan diet in Lee Hull's book, Stopping Kidney Disease with great results (since 2/1/2019), and any type of animal meat or products is a huge no-no. My eGFR went from 44 to 58 (as of 10/17/2019).
My wife, who started with a pretty good eGFR of 68 also did the Lee Hull program with me... her eGFR is now 86 (nope, I am not dyslexic) as of 11/1/2019. If she were black, it would actually be an eGFR of 100!
Our protein mostly comes from Vegan smoothies and faux Vegan meat products. We try to watch the sodium when consuming the faux meats. They taste great.
You may want to check out the Lee Hull book; available on Amazon with customer reviews.
Best of luck to you.
Did he suck you into buying his Albutrix?
Hi. No, I did not buy the Albutrix. We get our protein from vegan smoothies (made from vegan protein powder, naked juice fruit smoothies, vegan almond milk, and frozen berries) and faux meat vegan products. We just really have to watch the sodium for the day when eating the faux meats.
I imagine our scores would be better with Albutrix, but for both of us it would be $400 per month which is too expensive. But our test results show what healthy eating can do.
Hi Beckett24,
I don't know if I should be happy or sad. I have been following Lee Hull's advice for a month now to a T! I just got a lab back today and my gfr remains the same although most everything else has improved. Any advice? Why would everything else be better but not my gfr? Is there anything else I can do?
11/27/2019
GLUCOSE114
BUN25.00
CREATININE1.9
CALCIUM9.40
SODIUM138
POTASSIUM4.1
CHLORIDE103
CO227
ANION GAP12.30
EGFR26
12/20/2019
GLUCOSE97
BUN18.00
CREATININE1.9
SODIUM139
POTASSIUM4.4
CHLORIDE108
CO225
CALCIUM9.40
PROTEIN, TOTAL6.2
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL0.70
ALBUMIN3.9
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE57
AST (SGOT)31
ALT (SGPT)46
ANION GAP10.70
EGFR26
Hi, Ritzy_Jewels,
Your two sets of labs are 23 days apart. Creatinine stays in your bloodstream for 30 days according to my research. My before and after sets of labs were about three months apart. I would not even worry now. See what your labs are on about 2/27/2019.
Also, be sure to drink as close as you can to half your body weight (measured in pounds) in fluid ounces of water; dehydration raises eGFR. Keep sodium under 1,000 mg per day. And do not exercise at least two days before labs as strenuous exercise raises creatinine which raises eGFR.
If you are sticking to a CKD modified plant based diet, your kidneys will love you for it. Don't forget to keep track of your daily protein intake as well... 0.6 grams of protein per KG of body weight per day.
Good luck and merry Christmas.
what did your doctor say about you eating so much eggs . i was told it is not good
He told me no eggs no meat no dairy.
My nephrologist said that 3-4 eggs a week are fine, that’s while eggs. I can eat unlimited amounts of egg whites each week. Apparently egg whites are a nearly perfect form of protein for our kidneys.
At this point I’m eating quite a lot of tofu though and only about 3 large eggs worth of liquid egg whites a day. I’m also eating black beans and garbanzo beans in moderation.
Jayhawker
I tried a strictly vegan diet, but, like you, didn't quit feel right. So, I varied it a bit, having some seafood now and then or even an egg, but I always included a lot of veggies with it, or put spices on it - sort of like a compromise. I guess I am now 90 percent vegan and 10 percent fish eater. Since fish eat seaweed, I imagine, I am, in a sense getting perhaps some seaweed molecules in my diet with the fish.
You could try tuna salad made with canned tuna. It is good for kidneys as it is low in phosphorus. Be sure to wash off the salt when you take out of the can though. Also, egg whites are a good "meat replacement" - very low in phosphorus and recommended by all nephrologists for a CKD diet.
Ravi what about oatmeal with some fruit like apples and a little cinnamon or berries. I eat a lot of salads. Maybe you should talk with your doctor to get a little more direction on what he wants you to eat especially if you aren't feeling well.
I’ve been adding liquid egg whites to my morning oatmeal to increase my protein intake. I really like the following recipe:
1/4 steal cut oatmeal
1/2 cup water
2egg whites
1/2 cup applesauce (no sugar added)
Cinnamon to taste
Mix all together.
Microwave for 3-3.5 minutes.
Stir 2-3 times during cooking.
I use quick cooking McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal.
Hi Ravi,
It takes a while for the body to acclimate to a new diet. That is why most fail in short order. But in our case, eating properly is like taking medicine. You should see if you can find a renal dietician to help you. By the way, you are not going completely without protein. Protein is in almost everything we eat including pasta and rice. So you may be limiting it for a good reason, but you still are getting some. Once you get your creatinine down, you may be able to introduce some fish..... BUT, I do not know your medical history so I am not prescribing and you should be careful with other's suggestions. See a renal dietician.
You shouldn't be feeling miserable on a vegan diet. It might not even be necessary to be completely vegan.
Ask your doctor to send you to a renal dietitian. Our bodies need protein - even if it is in limited amounts and a dietitian can you help you out with this.
Good luck.
Hi, RaviC. All animal products, especially any kind of meat from any living creature, are awful for CKD. My wife and I get our protein from Vegan smoothies and faux meat products which sometimes taste better than the real meats. Just watch the sodium on the faux meats. Also, veggies have protein.
Stick with the Vegan/vegetarian diet. It gets easier. I have been doing for 3 months
A little good news for me, I have been getting used to vegan but added fish 2 meals a week in very small portions. Also my creatinine has gone down from 6 to 4 and I feel so much better.
Hi...I know this post is old but how are u doing? My husband was just diagnosed with ckd-creatinine 6. How long did u take to get to a 4? And how are u now?
Being vegan made me so moody, I usually incorporate salmon, tuna, turkey, or chicken now. No beef or pork for me. Can’t even do too much beans or lentils because that would give me gout. I would try plant based but most vegetables have high potassium content and phosphorous levels fluctuate in veggies so i found that vegan diet was not ideal for me. Also I love homeade noodle soups and can’t let that go. I am not diabetic so allow **some** sugar is or something sweet like tea with coconutsugar or condensed milk. Has helped help with the misery.
I have never heard a nephrologist tell you to drink half your body weight in water!!! That can overload the kidneys causing more issues. And if anyone is on dialysis especially please do not follow that advice unless you want to end up in ICU
Just Diag. w/ Stage 3a ckd and huge weight loss worry
stage 4 kidney failure
Use of ACE for increased BP
33 year old mother with GFR fluctuation between 16 & 19%, preparing for transplant whilst trying to increase GFR through vegi/vegan diet. 
